Well, that was quite a week. The boss is back and I managed to have everything mostly back together and on its wheels again before she arrived!
Front end all went pretty easily. I did wait a week for replacement bump stop rubbers ,(a soft, clear material rather than the red ones). Steering head bearings weren’t too bad. They just got a good clean up, reassembled, fresh grease and adjusted.
The master cylinder was a mess. Full of some sort of molten muck, but again a good clean up and the internals were all fit to go back together. It certainly looked like a kit had been through it in the last couple of years. The reservoir had 3 good cracks in it, so that was replaced, fluids flushed and drained and it feels pretty good.
I replaced a lot of fasteners on my way through with 8.8 rated, zinc plated hex head bolts, (because that was all I could source locally), but Allen head replacements are at my post box waiting for collection.
Airbox system is complete again but I need to get the fuel tank sorted before I can get it running and test it all. No doubt the carbs will need adjustment and sorting, but we’ll get to that in due course. I’ve still got to do oil change and valve clearances too.
The fuel tank! What a bloody nightmare... I’m still waiting on the US tank and old mate has messaged me to say that he spent an extra week trying to get the fumes out before posting it, which he was due to do on Monday.... here’s hoping it makes it.
So, while I’m waiting with my fingers crossed, I figured I ought to have a crack at straightening the original tank. I used the bladder method to push a couple of its dents out, but the main dent wasn’t going to budge like that, so I resorted to welding a 20mmx20mm square tube offcut about 12mm wide to the tank and using a slide hammer to pull it out as far as I could. It was successful to a large extent, but it certainly wasn’t pretty! I got most of the surface to within <10mm of its correct level and then treated the surface and stuffed it full of filler. It’s still got plenty of sanding left to get it right, but it’s at least well on the way.
I’m waiting on shock absorbers to turn up and the fuel tank, (with its cap, which is what I’m really after) so give it another week or so, I’m pretty confident it will be fit for inspection and hopefully, plates.